Chapter 758 - 753: Survival
Withered vines, an old tree, a somber crow.
Across the mountains and fields, the world was a vast expanse of white. A dilapidated, broken-down thatched hut sat in the snow, as conspicuous as a smudge on a pristine white page.
The next moment, a gentle breeze blew past.
"CREAK..."
With a soft sound, the door of the thatched hut was nudged open by the cold wind, vaguely revealing the interior—a silent, profound darkness.
If someone were standing outside at this moment and looked in, they would be surprised to find they could see almost nothing. Their eyes would meet only darkness. Only a Cultivator with sufficiently profound Cultivation could vaguely discern what seemed to be an ancient bronze lamp placed within the gloom.
"THUD!"
The next second, as if it had gained sentience, the hut’s door ignored the buffeting of the cold wind and slammed shut, becoming perfectly still without another sound.
"Haaa..."
A heavy breath echoed slowly through the dim hut. Then, a pair of eyes opened, filled with mirth and even a hint of smugness.
’That gust of cold wind... it was looking for me, wasn’t it?’
Lü Yang didn’t speak aloud. At a time like this, talking to oneself was the greatest taboo; it was enough to simply think the words. Speaking would only leave traces of his presence between Heaven and Earth.
’He’s getting desperate. Haha, he’s panicking!’
For this thatched hut, which was imbued with the Profound Mysterious, everything that happened to it was bound to have a corresponding symbolic representation in reality.
For example, the gust of cold wind that had nearly blown the door open was one such symbolic manifestation. In essence, someone was using Great Magical Power to scour Heaven and Earth and examine karmic links, trying to find what was hidden inside the house. The firmly shut door symbolized the result of this endeavor—
They found nothing.
But this was only to be expected. After all, this thatched hut could be considered Lü Yang’s magnum opus, and it also made efficient use of Fortune’s legacy.
’This place was originally a secret refuge that Fortune created at his peak.’
’Compared to me, Fortune’s mastery over the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire was more than adequate. This secret refuge also utilizes the Fruit Position Profound Mysterious of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire.’
’And on that foundation, I made my own optimizations.’
’I used the Array in this place to focus all the Profound Mysterious of the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire that I seized onto this thatched hut, then added restrictions in exchange for greater power.’
Night Exorcism!
The profound darkness within the thatched hut was the manifestation of this Profound Mysterious, taking the symbolism of "hiding secrets" to its extreme. The price was that Lü Yang could not leave the hut; the moment he did, the entire setup would instantly disintegrate. The benefit was that as long as he didn’t leave, this was the safest place in the world.
’In short, this is a Magic Instrument.’
’Fortune... despite how he ended up, back when he was still the True Monarch of Celestial Destiny, he was actually very skilled with the Fruit of Lamp-Cover Fire.’
’Poor Fortune, screwed over so badly by Ang Xiao.’
’But no matter. I’ve now used his setup to deceive Ang Xiao and viciously turned the tables on him. I guess that counts as avenging Fortune.’
The darkness stirred, and a figure slowly emerged.
No physical body, no Spiritual Space, only the purest consciousness and Cultivation sketched into a human form, sitting calmly and steadily in the center of the room.
The Dao Body condensed by the Centome!
This was what Ang Xiao had forgotten... This Dao Body. He had dispatched it long ago, secretly placing it inside the Earth-Walking Avatar.
’Fortune’s setup alone wasn’t actually enough to pull off a deception so grand that even Ang Xiao would overlook it. But adding the Centome to the mix was a different story. The Dao Body was a product of the Centome and was similarly without karmic links. Hiding it was twice as effective with half the effort!’
This was Lü Yang’s backup plan, and his only one.
He had used the Earth-Walking Avatar to escape, then hidden himself away quietly behind layer after layer of seals, all to leave himself a sliver of a chance to survive when necessary.
’I can’t believe I actually had to use it...’
Lü Yang sighed internally. He truly hadn’t discovered Ang Xiao’s scheme and really had been blinded by the Veil of the Trees. He just had one good habit.
He knew he wasn’t particularly brilliant. Most of the time, he relied on having more information to gain an advantage. He also knew that when it came to real scheming, he could never outwit those true Great Powers. So, he didn’t bother trying. He just planned for the worst-case scenario and gave himself a safety net.
What was the worst that could happen? Death.
So he just had to find a way not to die. As long as there’s life, there’s hope. At worst, he’d just jot it down in his little notebook, and they’d settle the score in the next life.
As it turned out, that was the right thing to do.
Although he hadn’t anticipated Ang Xiao’s betrayal, his pre-arranged safety net had allowed him to become the ultimate beneficiary of this whole affair.
As for the death of his Dharma Body, it wasn’t actually a big deal.
As long as his consciousness wasn’t extinguished, things like a physical body or a Spiritual Space were ultimately just external possessions. In this life, only the Dao Body was his true foundation!
’Of course, it’s true that I’m in a terrible state right now. I’m left with just a Dao Body, back to how I started. But it’s not a huge problem. I just need to make a trip to the Sea of Suffering and absorb the power of the Dao of Arcane Body, and I should be able to recover. If worst comes to worst, I can just do another worldwide broadcast...’
Of course, not right now.
After all, Ang Xiao probably wanted to flay him alive right now. It was best to lay low for a while and take stock of the gains from this venture.
’The Supreme Fruit Position Book... Ehehe...’
Lü Yang grinned. He could clearly sense that five of the books were now imprinted within his consciousness, though he couldn’t read them for the time being.
’This is only possible because my Dao Heart has reached Perfection, allowing me to bear the "weight" of five Supreme Fruit Position Books. For any other Cultivator whose Dao Heart hasn’t reached Perfection, one or two books would probably be the limit. Even for True Monarch Gangxing, I estimate the most he could do is use his Spiritual Space to copy a single book.’
Of course, even one was a gain.
Besides, World Purger Fei Xue and True Monarch of Contained Light and Floating Heaven didn’t really lose out, because they already got what they wanted: the karmic coordinates of the Nourishing Life Master.
If you had to name any losers in this battle, it would be Ang Xiao and the Old Dragon Monarch. Ang Xiao, because his plan to snatch a prize backfired, costing him dearly.
As for why the Old Dragon Monarch was also a loser, it was because—
’He pissed me off!’
The moment he thought of the Old Dragon Monarch’s betrayal, Lü Yang ground his teeth in hatred. Any shred of goodwill he’d had for him was instantly wiped out, and a heavy entry was made in his little black book.
’This debt won’t be settled for at least ten lifetimes!’
’Just you wait!’
It was only because the Old Dragon Monarch’s Cultivation was too high to be drained. Otherwise, Lü Yang would have let the father-son duo of Chen Xin’an and the Master of Heaven Mending Peak, who were in the Righteous Banner, have a feast.
After cursing inwardly for a good while, Lü Yang’s expression turned serious as he mulled things over. ’Although the five Supreme Fruit Position Books are imprinted on my consciousness, I need to enter the Nourishing Life Master to open and read them. It’s not convenient to look now. I’ll wait until this storm blows over and I’ve recovered to my peak state before I go.’
’The most pressing matter now...’
At this thought, Lü Yang immediately formed a Daoist Hand Seal. The Righteous Banner materialized, and as its surface fluttered, a billowing black aura lifted a shattered figure into view.
Just how shattered was it?
To put it bluntly, it was no longer human-shaped. At most, half a skeleton remained, and even that was covered in fine cracks.
If Progenitor Tingyou and Demon-Vanquishing Perfected Person hadn’t intervened, forcefully preserving this last half of a skeleton and stabilizing Suo Huan’s final sliver of life force, he probably would have perished completely. His Grotto Heaven would have collapsed, leaving only a Golden Soul behind. At that point, not even an Immortal could have saved him.
Seeing this, a pained expression immediately appeared on Lü Yang’s face.
"Fellow Daoist Suo Huan!"
With the Righteous Banner providing cover, Lü Yang wasn’t afraid of leaving traces in the world for others to find. He spoke directly, "Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to save you right now!"